Method of raising sunken boats



April 18, 1944. KYNE 4 2,346,974

METHOD OF'RAISING A SUNKEN BOAT Filed March 6, 1945 32 INVENTOR.

[ow/1 0 1/ KM'E 14 7' TORNE Patented Apr. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES FATENTOFFICE METHOD OF RAISING SUNKEN BOATS Edward J. Kyne, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 6, 1943, Serial No. 478,172

1 Claim.

This invention relates to methods of raising a sunken boat.

An object of this invention is to provide a highly improved method ofraising a sunken boat such as the Normandie, which may lie on its sideon the bed or bottom of the water.

A further object of this invention is to provide a highly improvedmethod of the character described which shall be comparativelyinexpensive to carry out and yet practical and eflicient to a highdegree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope of application will be indicated in the following claim.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the variouspossible illustrative embodiments of this invention.

Fig. 1 is a prospective view of a boat lying on its side in the waterwith a casing built around the boat;

Fig. 2 is an elevational, vertical, cross-sectional view through thestructure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a further step inthe method;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating a further step inthe method;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but illustrating still another stepin the process of raising the boat; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing still a further step inthe improved process.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a boat lying onits side on the bottom I I somewhat similarly to the way the Normandieis submerged. In accordance with my invention, the casing I2 is builtall around the boat Hi, the casing having side walls l3 and end walls Itand the lower ends of the casing being well embedded in the bottom II topermit the water within the casing l2 to be pumped out. The water in thecasing is then pumped out so that the boat lies on its side within thecasing. All the water is also pumped out of the boat so that it will notbe top heavy. It will be noted that the side walls l3 of the casing areso placed as to be substantially parallel to the sides of the boat, orin other words,

as the side walls extend longitudinally of the boat.

The bottom II is then excavated as at 20 on the side only which isbeneath the boat bottom 2!. Thus the excavation 263 extendslongitudinally of the casing l2 adjacent one side wall I3 thereof. Theexcavation exposes the side of the boat on which it is lying, preferablyone wall 22 of the excavation 20 is inclined downwardly and toward theside wall adjacent the excavation. Care should be taken to excavate onlyso much as to leave the boat substantially in the position it is lyingwhile the excavation is being made. After the excavation 26 is finishedthe boat It) may be pulled, pushed or otherwise moved to cause thebottom 2i thereof to be swung down into the excavation 2E). The boatthus moving from horizontal position to tilted position and then tovertical position as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. Water may then bepumped into the excavation 20 and into the casing l2 to float the boat.The casing l2 may then be removed.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved, and which is welladapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention,and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth,it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

The method of raising a submerged boat lying on its side at the bottomof a body of water comprising building a concrete casing around the boatwith the side Walls of the casing extending longitudinally of the boatand the lower ends of the walls of the casing embedded in the bottom ofsaid body of water, then pumping the water out of the casing, thenexcavating within the casing longitudinally thereof and below the boatbottom While making one side of the excavation inclined downwardlytoward the side wall of the casing which is adjacent the excavation,then moving the boat to bring its bottom into the excavation, thenpumping water into the excavation and casing and floating the boat, andfinally removing the casing.

EDWARD J. KYNE.

